An inscription carved on the front of the building in front of the Royal Naval College's Dartmouth placard reads: 'It is on the Navy, under the good providence of God, that our wealth and peace depend?'.. [ In the 17th century,.:------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- sea supremacy became a paramount task for the English nation. The basis of the fleet of the Restoration era was the battleships, which became a real stronghold of Britain. After a century and a half, the importance of the Navy only increased, since only the Navy protected the coast of Britain from Napoleon's battle-hardened land army.